English entered parliament in 1990 as a National PartyMP representing the Wallace electorate. In 1999 English served as Minister of Finance for a brief period until National, under the leadership of Jenny Shipley at the time, lost the election later that year. In October 2001 he replaced Shipley as the leader of the National Party, but after a disastrous result in the 2002 election he was replaced as the leader by Don Brash in October 2003. After Don Brash's resignation in November 2006 he became deputy leader of the party under John Key, becoming the Deputy Prime Minister after a November 2008 election victory. English retired as an electorate MP at the 2014 general election and became a list-only MP.

Political career

Member of Parliament

English joined the National Party in 1980 and served in administrative capacities for party branches both in Southland and in Wellington. In 1990 he stood as the National candidate in Wallace, the Southland electorate that encompassed Dipton, and won. The local voters of Wallace and of Clutha-Southland re-elected English as their electorate representative in seven successive subsequent general elections. At the 2005 election English retained his seat with a 13,032 majority or 65% of the electorate vote.[3]
In the 2008 election English continued to hold the seat, winning by a margin of about 15500.[1] At the beginning of 1996 English became a member of the Cabinet and gained responsibility for Crown Health Enterprises, publicly owned healthcare providers established by the National Party's reforms of the public health service, which sought to foster an internal competitive market. He also became Associate Minister of Education and started the process of introducing the NCEA to high schools. After the elections later that year, however, Prime Minister Jim Bolger reshuffled his Cabinet, and English emerged as Minister of Health. As a condition of the coalition agreement, a member from New Zealand First served as Associate Minister of Health.

After the coalition between National and the smaller New Zealand First party collapsed in August 1998, the position of Treasurer (senior to that of Finance Minister and created especially for New Zealand First leader Winston Peters) became vacant. The former Finance Minister, Bill Birch, gained promotion to the position Peters had vacated, leaving the Minister of Finance portfolio free. English took up this role. Later that year, Birch and English swapped positions, with English becoming Treasurer and Birch becoming Minister of Finance again.

Leader of the Opposition

In October 2001, dissatisfaction with party leader Jenny Shipley had failed to abate, and English secured the backing of a majority of National Party MPs. English replaced Shipley as head of the National Party and thus as Leader of the Opposition.

However, English failed to improve the party's performance. In the 2002 elections, National suffered its worst electoral defeat ever, gaining barely more than twenty percent of the vote. Both party insiders and the general public were split as to how much to blame English for this loss, but most of the party believed that English would be able to rebuild National's support.

By late 2003, however, National's performance in opinion polls remained poor. The party had briefly increased its popularity in the year following the election, but by October its support had fallen to levels only slightly better than what it achieved in the last ballot. English also appeared in a boxing match for a charity against entertainer Ted Clarke. This "stunt" did not boost his polling or that of the National party either, with suggestions that it devalued his image as a serious politician. Don Brash, former governor of the Reserve Bank and a relative newcomer to politics, began to build up support to replace English. On 28 October, Brash gained sufficient backing in Caucus to replace English as leader.[6]

Shadow Education Spokesman

On 2 November 2003, when Brash announced changes in responsibilities for certain MPs, English became National's spokesman for education, ranked at fifth place in the party's parliamentary hierarchy. He remained in parliament after the 2005 election. In his new shadow education portfolio, English performed strongly, and remained a party favourite despite his election defeat as leader in 2002, as indicated by his subsequent appointment as Deputy Leader of the Opposition (see below) and spokesman for Finance and Revenue.

After the resignation of Don Brash, English aspired to Deputy Leader Gerry Brownlee's deputy leadership. On 26 November Brownlee announced that he was stepping aside and English was predicted to take over the deputy leadership and also the finance portfolio. This was confirmed the next day following a caucus meeting.[7]

Leaked tapes

Two tapes were covertly made of conversations with English at the National Party conference in August 2008, and subsequently leaked by Kees Keizer[8] to the media. The first indicated that English would like to eventually sell Kiwibank. The second, released to the media on 4 November 2008, just before the New Zealand election, gave English's views on Barack Obama. He is heard on the tape saying: "I'm a bit worried about this whole Obama and Europe thing, just because there's a limited effectiveness in being moralistic about international relations and Europe has turned out to be particularly ineffective even in its own backyard."
"And the US can argue over-do it (sic) and Bush should have put a different window dressing – there still needs someone willing to pull the trigger."[9]

Minister of Finance

Budget 2009

The fifth National Government’s first Budget[12] was delivered in a global recession and rising national debt.

The 2009 Budget included new spending of $5.8 billion to "help maintain economic activity and to support jobs". New spending included a home insulation and clean heating campaign, infrastructure investment and a national cycleway network.

The Budget confirmed 2009 tax cuts but deferred the second and third tranches of planned tax cuts in 2010 and 2011 as "unaffordable". Automatic contributions to the New Zealand Super Fund were suspended. $2 billion of planned spending by the previous Government's was reprioritised.

Budget 2009 forecast gross debt to peak at 43% of GDP in 2016/17.

Budget 2010

The main feature of the 2010 Budget[13] was a tax package that lowered income taxes, reduced the company tax rate to 28%, and raised GST to 15%. There were adjustments to Superannuation, Working for Families and Benefits to compensate for the GST increase.

Budget 2011

English speaking with Bryce Edwards at Otago University's Vote Chat in 2011

Budget 2011[14] was delivered following earthquakes which devastated Christchurch and included a $5.5 billion rebuild package for the city.

The 2011 Budget was a "zero Budget" meaning no net new spending over four years. $5.2 billion was prioritised over four years for spending on mostly targeted at health, education and infrastructure. Individual and employer Kiwisaver contributions were increased.

The Budget announced the part-sale of five state-owned enterprises with the Government keeping majority control.

The 2011 Budget forecast a return to fiscal surplus to 2014/15.

Budget 2012

The 2012 Budget[15] included $4.4 billion of new operating spending over four years, matched by offsetting savings and revenue initiatives. Health, education, the Christchurch rebuild, and research and development were major areas of new spending.

The Budget announced the Future Investment Fund to reinvest the proceeds of the part sales of state owned enterprises. The first allocation from this fund of $558 million was also announced.

Net core Crown debt was forecast to peak at 28.7 per cent of GDP. Budget 2012 was the second consecutive "zero Budget".

Budget 2013

The 2013 Budget[16] included $5.1 billion of additional operating spending over four years in health, education, welfare, and housing. $2.1 billion was added to the Christchurch rebuild, and ACC levies were reduced by $300 million in 2015 and by $1 billion in 2016.

An additional $1.5 billion allocation from the Future Investment Fund was announced.

The Budget forecast a return to fiscal surplus in 2014/15. A longer term fiscal target of reducing net government debt to 20% of GDP by 2020 was announced. Resumption of contributions to the Superannuation Fund was tied to this target.

Living allowances controversy

In 2009, the media, including TVNZ and TV3 revealed that English was receiving about NZ$900 a week as part of a living allowance for ministers, to live in his own NZ$1.2million Wellington home. English also receives $276,200 in his annual salary as Deputy Prime Minister.[17][18] It was also revealed other ministers with homes in the capital city were also claiming accommodation allowances.[19] On Monday 3 August 2009, Prime Minister John Key announced a review of the housing allowances claimed by cabinet ministers.[20] The Prime Minister also stated that English was only claiming what he was entitled to under current ministerial housing allowances.

English subsequently announced he would pay back $12,000 and only claim about $24,000 a year in living allowances.[21] The Auditor-General's office said in September 2009 that they were making "preliminary enquiries" into parliamentary housing expenses in response to a letter of complaint from Progressive party leader Jim Anderton.[22] Two days later English announced that he would no longer take up any housing allowance and had paid back all the allowance he had received since the November 2008 election.[23]

Political views

Personal life

He married a GP, Mary; they have six children. He is an active Roman Catholic,[29] but considers his religious beliefs personal and separate from politics.[30]

On 7 June 2002, English took part in TV3'sFight For Life, a celebrity boxing fundraiser, in this case for the Yellow Ribbon anti youth-suicide campaign. English took part because of the death of a teenage nephew in 1997,[31] and lost to entertainer Ted Clarke.